Almond Coconut Cake
Wednesday, March 25, 2009Batter | Topping |
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- Preheat the oven to 175C/350F. Grease a 7 or 8-inch baking pan, heart shape or round one.
- Sifted together the flour, sugar and baking powder in a bowl, then cut in the margarine, milk, and vanilla extract. Stir over a low speed briefly, then adjust to the middle speed, stir for 1 minute until all the ingredients are well-combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.
- While baking the cake, you can prepare for the topping. Mix all the ingredients for the topping in a small bowl. Take the cake out from the oven and spread the topping evenly on the cake. Return to oven and continue baking for another 8-10 minutes until it turns golden and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
Almond Fish Nuggets
Tuesday, March 24, 2009Marinade | |
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- Rinse, pat dry and cut fish fillets in narrow strips. Chop spring onion and ginger root. Place the fish fillets with the marinade in a bowl and set aside for 15 minutes, turning turning occasionally. Drain, discarding marinade.
- Beat egg lightly, and then blend in cornstarch and flour to make a batter. Dip fish strips in batter and roll in almonds to coat. Meanwhile heat oil until hot.
- Lower in the fish strips, several at a time, and deep-fry until golden, about 1 minute. Drain on paper towel and serve at once.
Duo Of Steamed Chicken Breast And Egg Whites
Saturday, March 21, 2009A very healthy dish made with ground skinless chicken breast, mixed with egg whites. To make the dish look more colourful and appetizing, I have separated some of the mixture with spinach to make a duo of steamed chicken.
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- Rinse the chicken and grind in a food processor. Season it with rice wine, salt and ginger powder. Add in egg whites and stir vigorously until all ingredients are well-combined and the mixture is elastic.
- Divide the chicken mixture into 2 portions. Mix one portion with the spinach puree. Place them in a heat-proof rectangular container. Steam for 12 minutes over the high heat until cooked. Slice the chicken and arrange them in a serving plate.
- Heat up a skillet with oil. Add in chopped ginger and garlic, stirring until fragrant. Season with salt and thicken with the starchy solution. Pour over the chicken. If you wish, garnish the dish with shredded spring onion, carrot or tomato.
Matcha Green Tea Yogurt Mousse Cake
Friday, March 20, 2009Green teas contain a high amount of antioxidants, which are found in many foods, including vegetables, fruits, and chocolate, known to forestall aging.
Green tea is also known as a mood enhancer as it contains L-theanine, an amino acid known to relax the mind.
Mousse | Garnish |
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- Dissolve the gelatin in the water and set aside for 5 minutes. Sprinkle the matcha green tea powder into the yogurt. Microwave the gelatin together with water for about 20 seconds. Pour the yogurt mixture into the melted gelatin. Whip the cream with sugar in a separate bowl until very soft peaks form, carefully fold this into the matcha yogurt mixture.
- Place an 7-inch mousse ring in a plate and arrange one single layer of lady fingers on the bottom, leaving one centimeter from the sides, so that the mousse will drip down and fill up all around the cake layer. Gently press second layer of lady fingers cookies and the rest of the mousse filling. Cover and chill for at least 5 hours until firm.
- To unmold cake, using a damp very hot towel, carefully heat outside of spring-form pan until edge of mousse melts slightly. Pipe some whipped cream around the edge of the cake, dust the top with matcha tea powder. Garnish with fresh strawberries and sugared pearls.
Okara-Soya Pulp Crouquettes / 豆渣丸子
Wednesday, March 18, 2009Okara (oh-KAR-uh)or soya pulp is the high fiber remnant after the production of soya milk or tofu/bean-curd. Okara is a Japanese word, meaning "the honorable shell." In China, okara is known (in pinyin ) as douzha / "soy lees", or doufu zha / "tofu lees". Soya pulp or residue in plain English.
I usually make soya milk or tofu with a machine, therefore the okara will be cooked during the process.
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- Dice carrot, bell pepper and black fungus. Place them in a mixing bowl. Squeeze excess water out of okara and add into the vegetable dices. Mix in chopped scallions, shallot fritters, egg white, egg and starch. Flavour the mass with chicken bouillon, salt and pepper to taste. Combine all the ingredients.
- Heat up oil till 180C/350F. Form the mixture into balls and low them down to the heated oil. Fry until golden brown. Alternatively you can fry the okara balls lightly coated with sweet potato-starch, as a result, okara croquettes taste more crispy. Serve with any preferred sauce.
Aubergine Sandwich In Tomato Sauce
Tuesday, March 17, 2009A juicy delicious ground meat filling sandwiched between two layers of aubergines and braised with tomato sauce.
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- Place all the spread ingredients together in a bowl. Mix thoroughly. Blend all the ingredients for the sauce in a bowl and set aside. Peel and cut the aubergine into 3mm thick rounds. Dissolve the cornstarch with water in a small bowl.
- Spread some ground meat mixture on a round of aubergine and top with another, pressing gently to form a "sandwich". Coat the sandwich like aubergine thinly with flour, dip into the beaten egg and then with bread crumbs. Heat up some oil in a pan. Deep-fry the sandwich aubergines until golden brown. Drain and place them in a serving plate.
- Heat up a skillet with a tablespoon of oil.Add in tomato wedges and carrots. Stir briefly. Pour in the prepared sauce and bring it to a boil. Add the cornstarch solution to the sauce and cook until it starts to thicken. Turn the heat off and pour the sauce all over the aubergine. Sprinkle the chopped spring onions on the top and serve.
Pipa Tofu / 琵琶豆腐
Monday, March 16, 2009This tofu should look like the Chinese string instrument "pi pa" or a fruit loquat, also called “pi pa” in mandarinangiesrecipes
, hence the name Pipa Tofu. Add some chopped shrimps into the mixture if you are a seafood lover.
Tofu Mixture | Other Ingredients |
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- Mash the tofu with a tablespoon. Soak the dried mushrooms in some water until soft. Drain and chop. Cut the baby corns and carrots into the same size, green onion into chunks.
- Place the tofu, ground meat, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and flour in a bowl. Mix all the ingredients. Form the mixture into oval shape with a tablespoon. Heat up some oil in a frying-pot. Lower the shaped tofu into the oil and fry until golden crispy. Remove and drain.
- Heat a skillet with a teaspoon of oil until hot. Add in baby corns and carrots. Stir for about 1 minute and remove. Add in spring onion, dried mushroom and stir until fragrant. Pour in the stock, light soya sauce and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook to a boil and return the tofu to the skillet. Turn the heat down, cover and simmer for a few minutes until all the ingredients well-combined. Dish off and serve immediately.
Stir-Fried Chicken With Hoisin Sauce / 海鲜酱鸡片
Sunday, March 15, 2009Hoisin sauce/Hai Xian Jiang is commonly used for BBQ, for example, 'Peking duck, suckling pig', and 'stir-fries' in Chinese cuisine. "Hoisin", which means seafood in Cantonese dialect, is a soya-based dipping sauce flavoured with salt, sugar, garlic, vinegar, red chilli peppers, and thickened with cornstarch.
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- Mix the sliced chicken with the marinade in a bowl and set aside for 1 hour. Combine the cornstarch and water in a small dish.
- Heat some oil in a skillet over high heat. Add in the marinated chicken and stir briefly. Remove, drain and keep aside.
- Add in hoisin sauce and bell pepper. Stir well and return the chicken to the skillet. Pour in chicken stock and bring it to a boil. Let simmer for 1 minute. Add in the cornstarch solution and stir until the sauce thickened. Transfer to a serving plate and garnish with the thinly sliced spring onions.